You have a gleaming new flat screen and a sound system to die for - the only problem is that all your music, photos and home videos are being held captive in the computer on the other side of the house. Could a media centre help to bridge your technological divide?
1. What is a media centre PC?
A media centre is a computer-like device that will let you record and replay television programs, surf the internet, and play digital music, games, video and slide shows - all using your television set as the display. The devices are designed to connect to other lounge room media devices and are operated by wireless keyboard or remote control. They are also sometimes called home theatre PCs.
2. What will my media centre do for me?
The most popular uses of a media centre are to aggregate and play digital files such as music, video and photos from a central location, and to access internet and email services in the lounge room.
Other popular features include the ability to watch and record digital TV programs and to pause and rewind current live television broadcasts. Advanced features in some units might also allow you to scale up your existing DVDs to a higher resolution (obviously dependent on the high-definition display capabilities of your TV set).
3. Are they available off the shelf?
Although you can build your own media centre, unless you are a real technology buff, you are best advised to buy an out-of-the-box system or get an expert to pull the bits and pieces together for you.
Some computers are billed as media centre compatible, but a true out-of-the-box solution should include a TV tuner, a preinstalled media centre operating system and a subscription to an electronic program guide such as IceTV.
4. Is it easy to set up?
Assuming you are buying an off-the-shelf solution, set-up time will depend largely on the loftiness of your ambitions, the user friendliness of your hardware and the quality of the user manual. If your new home theatre already incorporates all of the necessary preconfigured components to get things started, the first task is to set up the TV tuner, which could take anything from 20 minutes. After that, the set-up time depends on how much media content you wish to transfer onto the unit, or whether you opt to set up a network that can directly access content stored on your computer. Alternatively your retailer might be able to advise you on specialists who can mesh all the bits and pieces together for you.
5. Will it be easy to use?
Screen menus have been designed for easy navigation using a remote control for most commands and a wireless keyboard for more complex tasks such as internet or email. But be warned that the same sort of things that can play havoc with your computer (such as crashes and malware attacks) can also afflict your media centre.
If you found recording on a VHS machine infuriatingly cumbersome then you will be pleased to know that electronic program guides have turned this chore into a routine flick of the remote. Many devices can also provide similar functionality to a personal video recorder, giving you the choice of recording two things at one time and letting you pause and rewind a TV program showing in real time to fit with your schedule.
6. What other equipment do I need to make it work?
Some entry level media centre systems might not include a TV tuner or EPG subscription, but higher-end off-the-shelf systems should do so.
Display and audio equipment are not generally part of the package so if you want to link up with an existing TV or sound system you must check for the appropriate video and audio inputs.
To extend your media centre functionality to other areas in the house, a media centre extender will let you stream content wirelessly to a number of other display or storage devices (which can run simultaneously and independently). It will also allow you to pipe content stored in your PC directly to your lounge room.
7. Will it look odd in my lounge room?
Media centres might share much of their internal architecture with the classic PC, but most manufacturers have gone to great pains to package them up in a box that would not look out place in your entertainment centre. Many are not much larger than a DVD player and have an external LED display to give you an alternative to navigating via remote control.
Excessive noise can be an issue with some units, however, so check how quietly the machine runs in the showroom to ensure it won't disrupt your viewing experience.
Likewise take measurements of the space it is intended to fill to ensure your new unit has adequate space and ventilation.
8. What extras should I consider?
- If not already included, subscription to an electronic program guide will make it easier to manage television viewing.
- A removable hard disk drive could prove handy for moving media around.
- An ergonomic wireless keyboard will ease hand strain when accessing the internet.
- A universal remote control that works across the media centre and the TV set will help keep clutter from your coffee table.
- A dual high-definition tuner will enable you to record two shows at the same time.
9. How much will it cost?
An out-of-the-box media centre can cost from about $2500 to $6000, depending on the power, ease of use, features, design and brand name. There are more cost-effective solutions available but these involve more customisation and integration, which might require some technological expertise or the help of a specialist.
10. What are those cheaper alternatives?
A media centre needs a lot of hard disk space, processing power and memory. If you have a PC that satisfies those criteria and enjoy tinkering with technology, then you can feasibly create your own home theatre PC for much less than $2500 with the addition of appropriate media centre software, a TV tuner card, and a media extender or game console such as Xbox 360 or Sony's PS3. There are numerous websites that provide instructions on how to connect all of these bits of technology together but such a project is not recommended for the tech-shy.
Original Story by Louisa Hearn, The Age, June 3, 2008
